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Iraq: Women's rights and Personal Status Law amendment

COMCMT1R-EP1R-C2R-EPCNCADO

Updated 22mo ago

The European Parliament is deeply concerned about proposed changes to Iraq's Personal Status Law that would restrict women's rights and shift family matters from civil to religious courts.

These amendments disproportionately affect women and children, potentially lowering the marriageable age and increasing vulnerability to trafficking and exploitation, especially for girls from low-income families.

The Parliament urges Iraq to reject these amendments, which could violate international obligations, harm the country's reputation, and lead to reduced foreign aid.

The resolution calls for increased support for women's rights defenders in Iraq and for development aid to be linked to improvements in addressing gender-based violence and establishing women's shelters.

Documents

Iraq, notably the situation of women’s rights and the recent proposal to amend the Personal Status Law

position · EN · 2026-04-02

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Analysis

AI-generated·3 Apr 2026·Source document·Unverified

The European Parliament urges Iraq's Parliament to fully and immediately reject proposed amendments to Law 188/1959, the Personal Status Law.

What changes

The proposal concerns amendments to Law 188/1959 (the Personal Status Law) in Iraq, which would affect women's rights and family matters.
The proposed amendments would transfer family matters, including marriage, divorce, and child custody, to religious courts instead of civil courts.
The amendments could potentially lower the minimum legal marriageable age for girls to 9 and for boys to 15.

Expected impact

The amendments may increase the vulnerability of female children, particularly orphans and those from low-income families, to human trafficking and exploitation.
The proposed changes could result in a significant rollback of women's fundamental rights in Iraq.
The amendments could lead to an even more radical application of Sharia law and undermine Iraq's minorities, including Christian communities.

Limitations

The document does not provide specific details on the exact content of all proposed amendments beyond their general impact on personal status law.
The document does not detail the specific foreign assistance that might be withheld.
The document does not specify the judicial training content for sexual and gender-based violence or the criteria for establishing women's shelters.

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